ERIC EJ1117729: Acceleration and Compression in Developmental Mathematics: Faculty Viewpoints

2016·1.6 MB·English

by  ERIC

Acceleration and Compression in Develop-
mental Mathematics: Faculty Viewpoints
By Brian Cafarella
ABSTRACT: Community colleges are facing to as “accelerated.” Also, in accelerated courses,
increased pressure to accelerate students through as long as students complete the course require-
their developmental mathematics sequence. ments, they may finish the course in less than one
However, many individuals feel that some state academic term. Compression specifically refers to
legislatures and college leaders are frequently the condensing of mathematical content which
bypassing developmental math faculty expertise results in less course work. As evidenced in this
when implementing acceleration and compression study, it is also possible to employ elements of both
initiatives. This qualitative study focuses on faculty acceleration and compression into a developmental
viewpoints with regard to acceleration and compres- math course or sequence.
sion in developmental math. Guiding this study was The practices of acceleration and compression
Compression specifically
the research question: Based on faculty experience, have been thrust forward by state legislators and
refers to the condensing of what is the best fit for the practices of acceleration college leaders to ensure that students progress
and compression in developmental mathematics? through their developmental course sequence at a
mathematical content.
Data has been gathered using a structured interview quicker pace. Mangan (2014) reported that, as state
format for six developmental math instructors, two legislators have become increasingly frustrated and
at each of three community colleges. Findings from anxious with the number of students who test into
this study suggested that the practices of acceleration developmental math and do not complete their
and compression are a proper fit for students who college requirements, they are considering fac-
are comfortable with computer software. Incoming ulty input less. Some feel that faculty viewpoints
skill level and individual student learning style are regarding the implementation of the practices of
also imperative when considering acceleration and acceleration and compression in developmental
compression for developmental math students. math have been bypassed.
Individual instructor comfort level is another sig-
nificant detail for consideration with regard to the Literature Review
aforementioned practices. The Pressure to Improve
Developmental Mathematics
The practices of acceleration and compression in
developmental mathematics have been of great As the 21st century has progressed, the practices of
interest in recent years. According to Edgecombe acceleration and compression within developmen-
(2011) compressed courses allow students to com- tal mathematics courses have increased. This has
plete multiple courses in one academic term. In largely been due to state legislators placing pres-
a traditional developmental mathematics course sure on public institutions of higher education to
sequence, students may be required to complete demonstrate better completion rates (Bailey, Jeong,
stand-alone arithmetic and multiple algebra classes. & Cho, 2010). Weisbrod, Ballou, and Asch (2008)
A compressed course allows students to study reported that many states have begun to impose
arithmetic and algebra in one class and complete funding formulas on public institutions of higher
their developmental mathematics requirements education. Specifically, schools need to show higher
sooner. Edgecombe clarified that acceleration success and retention rates to receive additional
involves the reorganization of instruction and funding. Furthermore, both state legislators and
curricula in ways that expedite the completion of higher education boards are making institutions
Brian Cafarella
coursework or credentials. Both acceleration and more accountable for successful remediation of
Professor of Developmental mathematics
compression strive for the same goal, which is to students (Arendale, 2003).
Department of Developmental mathematics
allow students to complete their required course- Overall, state legislators have become increas-
sinclair Community College
work at a quicker pace than a traditional course ingly frustrated with the large number of students
444 West 3rd street
sequence. However, classes that are self-paced and who place into developmental math courses and
Dayton, ohio 45402.
[email protected] held in computer lab settings are generally referred their retention rates. Bahr (2008) found that 81.5 %
12 JournAl of DeVeloPmentAl eDuCAtIon
of students who attempted a developmental math- traditional design. They further articulated that lead faculty member and professional tutors could
ematics course did not complete a degree or transfer “developmental students are quite capable of provide them with individualized instruction. As a
to another school. In 2008, Fike and Fike confirmed assimilating course material in a shorter time when result, students were able to finish multiple courses
that students who are not successful in their first the material is presented in a more intense and in 1 semester. Since the start of this redesign, suc-
developmental mathematics course are very likely compressed format” (p. 52). Based on their quan- cess rates in developmental mathematics have risen
to withdraw from college within 1 year. Boylan titative study, which utilized a group comparison 18 % (Squires et al., 2009).
(2008) warned that governors and state legislators design between a group of students in a compressed The Community College of Denver (CCD) has
are running out of patience and are putting pressure course and a group of students in a traditional also witnessed increased student success rates using
on institutions to raise student success rates. Success course, Woodard and Burkett (2010) also recom- an accelerated program entitled FastStart (Epper
rates generally refer to the percentage of students mended that developmental mathematics courses & Baker, 2009). Similar to the program at CSCC,
who successfully complete a course. should be offered in a compressed form and added FastStart utilizes MML. In FastStart, many stu-
that compressed courses not only increase student dents are completing in 1 term what was previously
Cost Debate and Developmental Math
success but also reduce the chance of burnout for 2 terms of developmental mathematics. Moreover,
Sequence Length many students. CCD has seen a significant increase in the number
Various institutions have also reported suc- of developmental mathematics students who are
There has been a heightened debate regarding the cess with compressed formats. Bergen Community now passing college-level mathematics.
cost of developmental education in general; vari- College in New Jersey has begun to offer a com- Other developmental mathematics programs
ance among cost estimates and processes used to pressed arithmetic and algebra course for students have had success with modalities that employ
calculate them have led to calls for transparency who score on the high end of the placement test. elements of both acceleration and compression.
to support accurate estimates at local and national This allows students to complete their develop- Redden (2010) reported that institutions, such as
levels (Pretlow & Wathington, 2012). In 2010, the mental mathematics requirements in 1 semester. South Texas College, have witnessed increased
cost for developmental education was reported as Students who score on the low to mid-range of success rates by compressing a traditional three-
high as 3 billion (State Higher Education Executive course sequence into two courses covering the
Officers, 2010). Statistics such as these are used to same material and allowing students to work at
The traditional sequence of
support the argument that the cost of developmen- their own pace using mathematics software in the
tal education is too high and the current number computer lab.
developmental mathematics
of required developmental math courses in most The Gates Foundation has also become
institutions is unsustainable. The State Higher courses hinders community involved in the redesign of developmental educa-
Education Executive Officers also reported that tion and has become a driving force in the prac-
college students from
government spending on higher education was tices of acceleration and compression. Melinda
roughly 140 million dollars. Therefore, Goudas and entering college-level courses Gates, cochairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates
Boylan (2012) articulated that the cost of develop- Foundation, has pledged $110 million to improve
mental education is rather low as it accounts for (Edgecombe, 2011). developmental education. This money was allot-
roughly two percent of the overall budget. ted to develop groundbreaking models for devel-
Edgecombe (2011) employed statistics to sug- opmental education that employed practices of
gest that the traditional sequence of developmental the placement test can opt to take the traditional acceleration and/or compression of developmental
mathematics courses hinders community college course sequence. As a result, the success rates in courses (Ashburn, 2007). The Gates Foundation
students from entering college-level courses. This developmental mathematics at Bergen Community also helped start Complete College America (CCA).
evidence is based on Bailey et al.’s (2010) findings College have increased by fifteen percentage points CCA is a nonprofit advocacy group that has urged
that only 33% of students who place into devel- (Redden, 2010). In 2008, several community col- state law makers to reduce or eliminate remedial
opmental mathematics courses complete their leges in New York City implemented the Start courses so that students can progress into their
required course work within 3 years. Only 17% Program (Winerip, 2011). Instead of a multiple college-level courses at a quicker rate (Mangan,
of students who place into developmental math course sequence consisting of arithmetic and alge- 2013).
successfully complete a developmental mathemat- bra concepts, Start combines several concepts of
Faculty Perspective
ics course sequence of three courses or more. This arithmetic and algebra into one course that meets
study included a sample of over 250,000 students 5 hours a day and 5 days a week. Almost three Some educators and experts have expressed mixed
from 57 different community colleges in seven times more students have completed this course and opposing opinions for the practice of accelera-
states. In summation, this has all led to more and and have moved on to college-level work. tion in developmental math. Boylan (2002) asserted
more community colleges employing practices Many institutions have noticed increased that students should be carefully screened before
of acceleration and/or compression into their success rates by offering accelerated instruction. being placed into accelerated courses. Mangan
developmental math programs. Squires, Faulkner, and Hite (2009) noted that (2013) reported that some academic experts are
Cleveland State Community College (CSCC) in concerned that if certain students are accelerated
Impact of Compression and
Cleveland, Tennessee, through a grant from the too rapidly into their college-level courses, they will
Acceleration Tennessee Board of Regents, segmented all of the flounder. Mangan (2013) provided an example of
content in their mathematics courses into modules. a math professor questioning how students could
Some research results have favored the use of For each module, students completed online home- successfully perform operations with polynomials
compressed courses for developmental mathemat- work assignments, quizzes, and exams using the without a solid comprehension of basic numbers.
ics. Sheldon and Durdella (2010) have noted an Pearson software program, MyMathLab (MML). Furthermore, these academic experts believe that
advantage to offering developmental mathematics Students work in a lab setting and focus solely on professors in college-level courses will be overbur-
courses in a compressed format as opposed to a the math content in which they have difficulty. A dened with too many low skill students due to the
Volume 39, Issue 2 • WInter 2016 13
acceleration process in developmental education. sampling is most often used in qualitative research main features of the design, as well as of any pos-
This, in turn, will hinder all students. to select those individuals or behaviors that will sible risks and benefits from participation in the
The practices of acceleration and compres- better inform the researcher regarding the cur- research project” (p. 70). I ensured my participants
sion within developmental math have raised rent focus of the investigation” (p. 172). My goal that only the professional transcribers and I would
some additional concerns. According to Mangan was to study community colleges in the midwest have access to the actual interview recordings and
(2014), many academic experts are asking “What section of the United States that have been employ- transcripts. I explained that the final report, which
will happen to students who place into the lowest ing practices of acceleration and/or compression included raw data from the interviews, would be
levels of remedial math, some of whom might test in developmental math. Since this study would available to the public. Accordingly, I assigned all
at third-grade levels? (p. 3). This question has led require traveling to the sites for face-to-face inter- participants and each institution a pseudonym to
such experts to further question the responsibility views, I set a 250 mile radius from my residence protect their identities and address confidentiality.
of community colleges when it comes to accom- as a maximum limit for travel. I studied school This pseudonym was used on all paper documenta-
modating incoming students who are extremely websites and spoke with various representatives tion (faculty demographics form) and during the
deficient in mathematics. How can community to determine which schools were using practices interviews so that even the professional transcriber
colleges structure developmental courses to assist of acceleration and compression in developmental was not aware of the participant’s true identity.
these students when the emphasis is on accelerating mathematics, and I decided on four schools. To
Study Settings and Participants
all students into college-level classes? obtain as broad a perspective as possible, I ensured
Some faculty who teach developmental that two institutions consisted of an urban popula- I studied three community colleges in the Midwest.
courses have simply objected to the idea that the tion and the other two consisted of a rural popula- Joe and Alicia were participants from Mallory
practices of acceleration and compression have tion. I excluded four-year institutions from this Community College, a large community college in
stemmed from external entities such as the Gates study as many four-year schools and universities an urban setting. Joe and Alicia both hold master’s
Foundation and state legislators. Mangan (2013) have greatly decreased their offerings of develop- degrees in mathematics. Alicia has taught develop-
articulated that these individuals “contend that mental education (Jacobs, 2012). After designing mental math as well as college-level mathematics
the strategy bypasses colleges themselves and for 12 years. Joe has taught developmental and
imposes top-down solutions” (p. 3). Mangan college-level math for 5 years. Audrey and Lori
(2014) added that experts within developmental Many academic experts are were from Stafford Community College, another
education believe that state legislators, the Gates large institution in an urban setting. Audrey holds
asking “What will happen
Foundation, and Complete College America are a master’s degree in mathematics education and has
pushing the practice of acceleration as a simplistic to students who place into taught developmental math at the community col-
solution for a complex problem. lege level for 7 years. Lori holds a master’s degree in
the lowest levels of remedial
Researchers have conducted quantitative stud- mathematics and has taught developmental math
ies that have focused on the practices of acceleration at the community college level for 5 years. Lastly,
math, some of whom might
and compression in various institutions. There Steve and Chrissy were from Davis Community
has been some research, which contains minor test at third-grade level?” College, a midsize community college in an area
qualitative elements, that investigates, faculty view- that is considered rural. Both Steve and Chrissy
points regarding acceleration and compression in hold master’s degrees in education; however, their
developmental mathematics; however, this topic my study and creating my interview questions, I bachelor’s degrees are in mathematics. Steve has
has not been explored in depth. Accordingly, this sought Institutional Review Board Approval (IRB) 4 years of experience teaching at the community
qualitative study explored developmental math for each school. I received IRB approval for three college level whereas Chrissy has 5 years.
faculty viewpoints regarding the aforementioned of the four schools. Mallory Community College (MCC) has
practices in developmental mathematics. Therefore, In further employment of purposive sam- been employing a practice since 2012 that contains
I employed the following research question to drive pling, I focused on identifying faculty participants elements of both acceleration and compression.
this study: Based on faculty experience, what is who have taught developmental math courses in an Five, semester-long courses have been com-
the best fit for the practices of acceleration and accelerated and/or compressed modality. My goal pressed into one course in a laboratory setting.
compression in developmental mathematics? was to obtain a participant size of five to eight. This This course covers content from prealgebra topics
number was suitable enough for a small qualita- such as the laws of signed numbers to interme-
Method
tive study that sought thick, rich data. With the diate algebra topics such as solving compound
This was a basic interpretive, qualitative study. assistance of the IRB personnel and the depart- inequalities. This course employs the software
Merriam (2002) has articulated that in a basic ment chairs, I identified the faculty members who program, Math XL. The structure is self-paced,
interpretive qualitative study, “the researcher is were teaching developmental math courses in an which allows for acceleration, but students must
interested in understanding how participants accelerated or compressed modality. I then emailed complete certain sections of the course to receive
make meaning of a situation or phenomena” (p. these faculty members to explain the purpose of a grade of “satisfactory.” Students may complete
6). Merriam further asserted that the strategy is my study, and I invited them to participate. Two the material outside of class; however, there are
inductive and the process is descriptive. My goal faculty members in each of the three community 6 hours of mandatory contact hours each week
was to understand the viewpoints of a group of colleges accepted the offer to participate. in the laboratory. The design has become com-
developmental math instructors regarding the Informed consent and confidentiality are two monly known as a stacked format, which means
practices of acceleration and compression. factors that must be addressed when conducting there are students who are at multiple levels in
a study with human participants. According to the same laboratory, and the instructor circulates
Participant Selection
Kvale and Brinkmann (2009), “Informed consent throughout and assists them one-on-one. In the
For this study, I utilized purposive sampling. entails informing the research participants about stacked format, it is quite common for a student to
According to Krathwohl (2009), “Purposive the overall purpose of the investigation and the be completing an assignment on signed numbers
14 JournAl of DeVeloPmentAl eDuCAtIon
sitting next to a peer who is factoring trinomials. to solving linear equations and is offered solely Face-to-face interviews were the primary
MCC offers students the choice of enrolling in this in a lecture-based format. DCC’s approach is data collection method. I utilized a standardized,
stacked course or registering in the courses that similar to the Start Program, employed in New open-ended interview. Patton (2002) articulated
are lecture-based, and students are informed by York City, and the compressed courses offered at that standardized, open-ended questions are care-
their advisors that there are two different modali- Bergen Community College. However, contrary fully worded and are very specific. Each participant
ties and they can register for the one that they feel to Bergen, DCC does not offer the alternative for received the same lead question in the same order.
meets their needs. students to enroll in a traditional developmental Patton has also referred to this as a structured
Since 2012, Stafford Community College math sequence. The compressed developmental interview. He argued that a major advantage of the
(SCC) has offered an accelerated format that math course is the only option. standardized open-ended interview is that because
consists of three self-paced developmental math the interview is highly focused, the participants’
classes exclusively in a laboratory setting using the time is used efficiently. Each participant was asked
software program MyMathLab (MML). Students A major advantage of the a total of five lead questions and various follow-up
work at their own pace while an instructor circu- questions and probes. My probes, however, var-
standardized open-ended
lates to answer questions and provide assistance. ied based on the responses from participants. To
The first course begins with operations of whole interview is that… the ensure accuracy and allow verbatim transcription,
numbers and the exit course concludes with factor- each interview was audio recorded; however, I did
participants’ time is used
ing trinomials. Like MCC, SCC offers these courses take field notes during the interview process.
in a stacked format. Students must complete the
efficiently.
Method of Data Analysis
requirements for one course before moving on to
the next, and they must complete at least one course Upon completion of the interviews, recordings were
in a semester to earn a passing grade. However, if professionally transcribed to ensure accuracy. I then
Data Collection Procedure
students complete a course early, they may begin began to read and reread the written information
the next one. SCC does not offer developmental Prior to the face-to-face interview, I emailed a form from the interview transcripts and, more impor-
math courses in a lecture-based format. to participants and asked them to answer back- tantly, to code the data. The overall method that I
Davis Community College (DCC) offers a ground questions regarding their collegiate major utilized to analyze the raw data was constant com-
developmental math course exclusively in a com- and years of teaching experience overall and at parison. According to Merriam (2002), constant
pressed format. In early 2013, DCC compressed their institution. Patton (2002) referred to these as comparison is used to compare units of data that
three, semester-long developmental math courses background/demographic questions. My rationale the researcher believes to be meaningful in order
into a one semester course. This course covers for these questions was to garner information from to generate tentative categories. I accomplished this
content from operations with whole numbers which to create a profile of participants. continued on page 16
Volume 39, Issue 2 • WInter 2016 15
continued from page 15 that I remove some extraneous information. up for a computer math class and were freaking
by rereading both the transcripts, notes, and other Ridenour and Newman (2008) stressed the out. They weren’t learning anything. Our success
insights while hand writing in the margins of the importance of transferability in a qualitative study. rates were never that good, but they got worse with
documents and on a blank page next to each page Transferability refers to the likelihood that the that class,” said Audrey.
of interviews. My first reading was simply aimed at results of the study will hold up in another setting or Both respondents from SCC asserted that their
developing the coding categories or classification situation. The reader must be able to judge this and administration made a bad situation worse. “My
system. I then started the coding process in a more come to a conclusion. I allowed my readers to do dean and chair told us that in the fall of 2012, we
formal way and transitioned to sorting, searching this by providing a thick, rich description of the set- couldn’t offer face-to-face instruction anymore for
for common threads and ideas across the memos ting and my findings. Merriam (2002) posited that our dev [developmental] math classes” explained
and notes. This in turn allowed me to generate providing a thick, rich description should allow Lori. She added, “We tried to tell them that this
tentative categories with the common ideas that readers to determine how closely situations match wasn’t working and computer-based instruction
emerged across the data. I continued to engage and whether findings could be transferred. Also, does not work for everyone.” Audrey provided her
in constant comparison until I reached a point at Krathwohl (2009) maintained that a researcher thoughts. “It was like talking to a brick wall. My
which no new insights and interpretations emerged can provide a thick, rich description by including dean kept saying ‘the state wants us to accelerate
from further coding. These tentative categories excerpts of raw data into the findings. In this study, students more, and you have to make it work’. He
matured into the final categories, which are listed I was able to provide a thick, rich description by also kept saying other schools were doing it [provid-
in the Findings section of this article. using participants’ voices to convey some of the ing accelerated learning] and it was working, so it
findings. should work for us.”
Strategies to Ensure Trustworthiness
In summary, a researcher must utilize various Similar to SCC, Steve and Chrissy reported that
During the data collection and data analysis stages strategies to ensure overall trustworthiness in a the compressed format at DCC for their develop-
of this study, I employed various strategies to add study. Trustworthiness refers to the “truth value” mental math course was an administrative driven
to the credibility of the study such as reflexivity. initiative. Chrissy explained, “It was early in the
“Reflexivity has entered the qualitative lexicon 2012-2013 academic year; our provost and dean
The faculty is split in
as a way of emphasizing the importance of self- told us our developmental math course sequence
awareness, political/cultural consciousness, and was too long and we had to shorten it to one course,
opinions with regard to this
ownership of one’s perspective” (Patton, 2002, p. and we had to start offering this course the next
64). Ridenour and Newman (2008) suggested that teaching modality. year.” Steve added, “We tried to talk them out of
researchers can engage in reflexivity by keeping it. Our students were having a hard enough time
a daily journal; therefore, I maintained a daily learning the content when it was spread over three
journal in which I reflected on my thoughts and of a study (Ridenour & Newman, 2008). In other semesters. How were they gonna learn it if it was all
feelings after each interview. words, the reader should be able to conclude that crammed into one?” Both participants mentioned
Member checking was another salient trust- the results of a study are believable. that their administrators reported that the rational
worthiness strategy that I utilized. Krathwohl for this change was that other schools had witnessed
Findings
(2009) specified that member checking involves increased overall completion rates by compressing
Implementation Decisions
asking the “study participants to read the their developmental math course sequences.
researcher’s report to determine whether it has Implementing the courses that employ both com-
Best Fit for Acceleration and
portrayed them accurately” (p. 346). Therefore, pression and acceleration at Mallory Community
after I constructed tentative findings, I contacted College (MCC) was a faculty driven initiative. Joe Compression
my participants via email, and I asked them if elaborated “We had five semester courses and there
they felt that my conclusions were grounded in was too much overlap. We had to do something Student comfort with computers. All of the par-
their responses. If any of my participants had not for students who could get through the material ticipants, who teach in a computer setting, agreed
agreed that my conclusions were grounded in their quicker. The administration supported us, but it that for an accelerated class that employs computer
responses, I would have re-examined my results was definitely the faculty who wanted it.” Both Joe software, prior comfort with computers is impera-
and compared those findings again with my raw and Alicia mentioned that the faculty who spear- tive. Lori (SCC) provided her thoughts. “This can
data. However, my participants concurred with my headed this initiative became aware of it through work for the students who are comfortable using
conclusions; therefore, I proceeded with reporting attending regional conferences. Joe stated that that the computer. If they have strong Internet skills,
the results of my study. the faculty is split in opinions with regard to this there is a less of a learning curve with the math-
After analyzing and interpreting the data, I teaching modality. However, the faculty who do ematical software.” Joe (MCC) elaborated “If just
engaged in peer debriefing. According to Merriam not believe in the accelerated course in a laboratory the notion of a computer freaks you out, this is
(2002), peer debriefing involves “asking a colleague setting do not teach it. not the course for you. But my gut feeling is that
to scan some of the raw data and assess whether Audrey and Lori reported that the accelerated in 2014 most students are comfortable with the
the conclusions are plausible based on the data” format at Stafford Community College (SCC) was computer.” Audrey’s (SCC) experiences, however,
(p. 26). I asked two colleagues to review my inter- driven from the administration. Lori explained. have contrasted with Joe’s.
view transcripts as well as my tentative findings. “We used to have face-to-face offerings for our
We get students who have been out of school
My peer debriefers did not have a background in developmental math classes. Then in 2010, our
for over 30 years and they are scared to death
developmental mathematics; however, they have dean told us we had to implement this lab-based
to take a math class. The first thing they see
completed qualitative studies that used interviews format.” For 2 years, SCC offered developmental
is a computer, and they go into full blown
as the primary data collection method. The peer math courses in the traditional setting and in the
panic. I’ve had students that can’t even use
debriefers reported that the conclusions were indeed lab setting. The transition did not go well. “It was
grounded in the data. They did, however, suggest terrible. Students didn’t know they were signing continued on page 18
16 JournAl of DeVeloPmentAl eDuCAtIon
continued from page 16 an insight to students on the other end of the shy away from teaching in this format because it’s
a mouse, much less register for the math spectrum. foreign to them.” Lori (SCC) provided her thoughts:
software, much less do math on the computer.
Learning math in a lab just isn’t for everyone. My strength as a teacher has always been as
When we first started offering these classes, a lecturer in the classroom. I’ve always given
Incoming skill level. The participants con- we would get students who wanted to go into really good notes, and it’s more than that. I
curred that incoming skills level plays a pivotal a traditional lecture class. They either had always liked to bring different activities and
role as to whether a student is a proper fit for an weaker skills or just needed a live person even some math games into the classroom to
accelerated or compressed model. Joe commented explaining the material. It’s not always the help them learn. Students used to comment
on the compression of the course at MCC. “For weaker students. I’ve had strong math stu- on that in my evaluations. That is who am
some students, they learn the material better dents who simply learn better in a traditional I am as a teacher. I can’t do that in a lab. I
because it’s in a shorter amount of time. It’s not classroom. Now that we don’t offer lecture just walk around and answer questions. It’s
as drawn out and they can concentrate more. I classes anymore, we’re not being fair to all a shame.
would say these are the stronger math students.”
of our students. We’re not accommodating
Steve (DCC) explained: “There are a small number Audrey (SCC) added. “It’s like the administration
all learning styles.
of students who had a bad day on the placement doesn’t care about us being good teachers. Other
test or maybe just have some gaps, and that’s how Audrey (SCC) provided more thoughts. schools are doing this type of thing, so we have
they got into a dev math course.” Steve noted the to do it.”
Some students benefit from sitting in class
progress of these students. “These students were
and taking detailed notes while the instructor
Future Impact of Acceleration and/or
generally bored when we had three dev courses,
explains everything step by step to develop a
and they do pretty well now with one course. It’s Compression
solid foundation. Most of all, they need struc-
more challenging to them, and they’re happy to
ture. In the lab, I sometimes feel like I’m run-
get through it faster.” Alicia (MCC) agreed.” For I asked each of the participants to comment on
ning around giving these fast explanations
whatever reason, some students placed poorly, whether they believed that the practices of accelera-
maybe because they were out of math for a long tion and compression helped or hindered student
time, but they were always good at math, and then “I’ve had strong math success in higher level mathematics. Alicia (MCC)
they fly through the material.” gave her thoughts. “I would say the students who
students who simply learn
Other participants noted the challenges when made it through the accelerated course do just as
students lack basic math skills. “I have students better in a traditional well if not better. They learned how to work inde-
who can’t even add or subtract, and in 15 weeks, pendently and they got lots of practice.” None of the
classroom.”
I’m supposed to get them to understand solving other participants teach courses beyond develop-
linear equations” explained Chrissy (DCC). Both mental mathematics, and all reported that at DCC
Chrissy and Steve noted that there is a great deal and SCC, data have not been gathered to assess
on problems; they really aren’t learning it.
of attrition in the compressed course at DCC from whether students are more successful in college-
MCC offers students the choice of taking
some of the weaker students because they simply level mathematics since the implementation of the
lecture-based classes that are spread out over 5
can’t keep up with the material. Steve elaborated. compressed and accelerated modalities.
semesters or a compressed course in a laboratory
“I have a student who can’t do long division sitting
format that allows students to accelerate through Overall Thoughts
next to a student who is trying to brush up on linear
their developmental math sequence. Both Joe
equations. How am I supposed to teach with that Toward the end of the interview, I asked the partici-
and Alicia feel that schools should offer students
big of a mix?” pants to provide some collective thoughts regard-
these choices. Alicia elaborated. “I don’t think
Learning style. A few of the participants ing the practices of acceleration and compression
this [lab-based courses] is gonna go away, but I
noted that individual student learning style plays in developmental mathematics. Most of all, I asked
think students should still be given the choice of a
a pivotal role in determining whether or not stu- the respondents to comment as to whether they
traditional class. Some students learn math better
dents are a fit for an accelerated or compressed felt these practices should continue in the field.
in a lecture format, and that’s fine.” Joe added: “All
model. This is especially true when comparing All of the participants asserted that these were
students learn differently, and we have to accom-
a traditional lecture course with a self-paced valid practices but had limitations. Chrissy (DCC)
modate that.”
course—delivered in a computer laboratory— explained. “This [the compressed format] works
Instructor comfort level. Several of the par-
which allows for acceleration. Audrey (SCC) really well for some students, but it’s totally unfair
ticipants remarked on the importance of instructor
commented. “Some students, who are on the to so many other students.” Steve (DCC) added.
comfort level in relation to the successful imple-
high end with their math ability, do really well.
We have some students that simply have gaps
mentation of acceleration and compressed learning
They have a good understanding of the basics so
in their math knowledge, and they don’t need
modalities. Alicia (MCC) commented on teaching
they can take off and work on their own.” Audrey
as much instruction, but we also have so many
in a computer laboratory. “It’s very much like a
added: “They still need help; so they appreci-
low level students, and it’s not fair to push
facilitator role. As the teacher, you’re going around
ate us working with them one on one, but they
them this far. We also have students who
having conversations with the students and helping
get it quickly. Then, they can just do practice
need to spend more time on certain topics.
them. I happen to enjoy that.” Joe (MCC) agreed.
problems on the computer. They just work well
We could do that over three semesters; we
“You have to like interacting with students all the
independently.” Joe (MCC) gave his thoughts:
can’t now, and it’s not fair. People have to
time. I like it because I can be more personal with
“Some students simply like to work quietly on
understand that math is linear. If you don’t
the student, but some people consider it too chaotic
math rather than sit in a classroom and follow
know how to add or subtract, you can’t do
because it doesn’t have the structure of a traditional
a lecture. The lecture would be boring for them
order of operations and word problems. If you
classroom.” Alicia added “I think some instructors
and they might drop out.” Lori (SCC) provided
18 JournAl of DeVeloPmentAl eDuCAtIon
$33.00
don’t understand signed numbers, you can’t have that.” She added. “That’s often why they fail. math student. These students may already have an
evaluate expressions or solve linear equations. It’s not that they don’t get it; they just don’t work understanding of some of the required material but
the problem in an organized way, and then they contain small gaps in their basic math knowledge
Other participants provided some final com- shoot themselves in the foot.” base. Such students also have strong number sense.
ments on the accelerated format modality in the Specifically for the compression of developmental
Discussion
laboratory. “I don’t think we’ll ever go back to just math courses or sequences, the results from this
The Proper Fit for Students
lecture. There are a lot of students moving through study mildly coincide with those of Sheldon and
quicker, but I think we need to give students a choi- This study’s findings indicate that the practices of Durdella (2010) and Woodard and Burkett (2010)
cem,” commented Alicia (MCC). Joe (MCC) agreed. acceleration and compression may be a best practice in that some students benefit from a compressed
“I, personally, think most students at my school are course. However, for both acceleration and com-
better in the accelerated format, but I still wouldn’t say pression, the participants in this study noted that
“Our data show that
it’s for everyone.” Lori (SCC) provided her thoughts. these were developmental math students who work
students aren’t really moving independently, are motivated, and have a more
The funny thing is that the purpose of the
highly developed skill set.
computer lab was to accelerate students. Our
through their dev math
It is also apparent from this study’s findings
data show that students aren’t really moving
that acceleration and compression are not a uni-
through their dev math courses any quicker courses any quicker than
versal best practice for all developmental math stu-
than when we offered lecture classes. I mean
when we offered lecture dents. These practices are not ideal fits for weaker
there are a few who finish early, and that’s
developmental math students. Furthermore, these
good. So why can’t we go back to the lecture classes.”
conclusions align with the concerns reported by
classes and only offer the accelerated model
Mangan (2014) that the increased practice of
for those who are deemed a good fit?
for some students. According to the participants in acceleration and compression marginalizes the
Both Lori and Audrey (SCC) expressed concern this investigation, students who most often succeed needs of weaker developmental math students.
that the structure of the computer lab can hinder in an accelerated course in a laboratory setting The results from this study also indicate that tra-
basic organizational skills. Lori elaborated. “Dev demonstrate a high comfort level for computer ditional lecture-based instruction should not be
math students come in with terrible organizational software. These students also work very well inde- omitted. There are developmental math students
skills. When it comes to simplifying order of opera- pendently and seem to be highly motivated. The who may prefer and who have more positive learn-
tions or solving linear equations, you have to have practices of acceleration and compression may also ing experiences in this modality. The traditional
a structured step by step process and they don’t be a better match for the higher-end developmental continued on page 24
Volume 39, Issue 2 • WInter 2016 19
continued from page 19 being placed into an accelerated or compressed practices. In conclusion, institutions must place
lecture-based class also allows instructors the free- modality. sound pedagogy over politics and offer the modali-
dom to employ a wide variety of best practices such Respecting Faculty Input and the ties that best fit the learning needs of their specific
as collaborative learning and other mathematical Placement of Pedagogy over Politics group of students.
activities that enhance student learning.
Ideas for Future Research
This study’s findings have indicated that in some
Implications
institutions, administrators are clearly not respect- The practices of acceleration and compression in
When contemplating the practices of acceleration ing faculty input and expertise. These findings developmental mathematics should be studied
and compression, college leaders and developmen- align with Mangan’s (2014) report that the overall further. Mangan (2013) mentioned that some indi-
tal math faculty members should consider employ- input of developmental math instructors is being viduals are concerned that if developmental math
ing a cultural audit (Whitt, 1993). Specifically, a bypassed. The participants from both SCC and students are accelerated through their coursework
cultural audit studies both the espoused and DCC articulated to their administrators that the too quickly, they will falter. In this study, the par-
underlying beliefs and values within an organiza- accelerated and compressed formats were not suit- ticipants from MCC reported that developmental
tion. A cultural audit can give a better indication able for all students and were hindering student math students who were accelerated are perform-
as to whether a suggested practice is a proper fit learning in some cases. At SCC, the dean instructed ing well in their college-level math courses. These
for a group of developmental math instructors the instructors to continue to employ these practices findings align with those reported by Epper and
and their students. Oftentimes college leaders and due to pressure from the state, and administra- Baker (2009). It is noteworthy that students from
developmental math faculty learn about novel ideas tors from both SCC and DCC stressed that it was MCC enroll in an accelerated course by choice
and practices from studying the various ways that important to keep pace with other schools that and therefore, may be the stronger math students.
acceleration and compression are being employed were employing acceleration and compression. However, no information has been gathered for the
in other institutions. Before implementing any The responses from the participants suggested students in college-level math who participated
new practices, however, they should employ the that these school’s administrators prioritized the in accelerated and compressed models at SCC
cultural audit. and DCC where developmental math students
There are several ways to conduct a cultural are not given a choice. Therefore, more informa-
Students should be
audit. College administrators and developmental tion should be gathered regarding the progress
faculty can conduct interviews with students and completely cognizant of students in college-level mathematics courses
faculty to gain perspective as to whether a proposed who successfully completed accelerated and
practice is a suitable fit. Administrators and faculty of the various types of compressed developmental math sequences and
could also administer written needs assessment also which students withdraw or fail. Researchers
learning modalities …when
surveys to students and faculty to determine could conduct quantitative studies that employ a
whether a proposed practice fits a specific need. The registering. group comparison method. The success rates of
question that college leaders and faculty must ask students in college-level mathematics courses could
is: Which practice(s) is the best fit for our specific be compared to those who successfully completed
group of students? After extensive research, with a possibility of obtaining more state funding and the an accelerated or compressed sequence and those
massive amount of faculty input, schools can then overall image of the institution over the academic who successfully completed a traditional sequence
begin to pilot some of these practices on a small needs of students. In summation, the findings from in developmental math. The purpose of this study
scale. This will help determine if such practices this study suggest that the administrators at SCC would be to determine if acceleration and com-
are a suitable fit for the specific institution and if and DCC placed politics over sound pedagogy. pression in developmental math helps or hinders
changes are needed. Hanson (2003) defined politics as the competition students in college-level math.
As institutions prepare to implement prac- for resources. More specifically, if a person is acting Institutions that offer a choice between the
tices of acceleration and compression, college in the interest of politics, he or she is doing what is acceleration/ compression model and a traditional
leaders and faculty should examine the student necessary to obtain various resources (i.e., funding). course sequence should consider piloting a screen-
characteristics that best fit each practice or It was also evident that that when the new ing process and collecting data on the outcomes.
modality. For example, if a school is preparing initiatives of acceleration and compression were Students could be placed into a specific modality
to implement an accelerated modality in a com- faculty-driven, as opposed to being imposed by based on specific characteristics. More specifically,
puter lab, one that is similar to the practices at the administration, the implementation process institutions should conduct internal research to
Mallory Community College (MCC) and Stafford was more seamless and morale was higher. More determine the characteristics of a student who is a
Community College (SCC), college leaders and specifically, at MCC, it was the faculty who decided candidate for a specific accelerated or compressed
faculty must ask: What kind of student best fits to implement the accelerated and compressed course. The purpose of this study would be to
this practice? Each school must determine the course, and the feedback from faculty, with regard establish if placement based on specific charac-
specific student characteristics that fit each modal- to student success, was largely positive. teristics into an accelerated/compressed course or
ity. Faculty should then work with the school’s As Mangan (2014) reported, legislators are a traditional course impacts student success rates.
academic advisors and counselors to ensure that becoming increasingly anxious about the number
Conclusion
students are placed properly. Students should be of developmental math courses incoming students
completely cognizant of the various types of learn- must take. This study’s findings suggest that bypass- There have been statistics that suggest that lengthy
ing modalities of developmental math courses ing faculty input is not beneficial to student success. developmental math sequences can negatively
when registering. In summation, the findings from Instructors have the most interaction with students impact college completion rates. However, these
this study align with Boylan’s (2002) suggestion and are experts in their respective fields. Therefore, reports and conclusions only paint part of the
that students should be properly screened before developmental math instructors should have final picture. The findings from this study indicate that
say in decisions that relate to developmental math some students may be a proper fit for acceleration
24 JournAl of DeVeloPmentAl eDuCAtIon
and compression. Conversely, there is a significant Epper, R. M., & Baker, E. D. (2009). Technology for discussion and Analysis (pp. 3-17). San
subset of students whose needs may not fit these solutions for developmental math: An overview Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
delivery models. These students profit from a tra- of current and emerging practices. Seattle, WA: Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research &
ditional lecture-based class. The bottom line is that Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks,
the discipline of developmental math consists of from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ CA: Sage.
an extremely heterogeneous student population. learning/Documents/technology-solutions- Pretlow, J., & Wathington, H. D. (2012). Cost
Although acceleration and compression may be for-developmental-math-jan-2009.pdf of developmental education: An update
best practices for some students, neither modality Fike, D. S., & Fike, R. (2008). Predictors of first-year of Breneman and Haarlow. Journal of
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